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The Unsaddled

By Pascal Quignard and John Taylor
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Unsaddled presents a captivating exploration of accidental dismounting, weaving together history, philosophy, and metaphor. Through vivid portrayals of figures such as George Sand, Saint Paul, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Pascal Quignard reflects on life-changing moments marked by falls from horses, extending the idea to a broader overturning of values as seen with Nietzsche. The narrative traverses scenes of war, hunting, fleeing, and sexuality, drawing on a rich tapestry from neolithic times to postwar France.
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Format: Hardback
$4699
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Ideal for readers interested in historical fiction, philosophy, and literary meditations on pivotal moments and metaphors.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
A captivating and wide-ranging interpretation of accidental dismounting. In Pascal Quignard’s writing, philology hunts for wild game in a dark forest. The Unsaddled, which features horses as its central figure, is no exception. Taking off from puns, multifarious imagery, and metaphorical meanings—“to be baffled,” “to be thrown”—that the book’s title provides, Quignard focuses on life-changing moments. We meet George Sand (whose father died after being thrown from his horse), Saint Paul, Abelard, Agrippa d’Aubigné, and countless other writers, philosophers, theologians, or kings who fell off their horses—not to forget Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who was knocked over by a dog. Being “unsaddled” can also be associated, as Quignard shows in regard to Nietzsche, with an “overturning” of values. Scenes of war, hunting, “fleeing” or sexuality—“When lovers have a horse ride, they gallop in another world”—come before our eyes, each time from those unsettling vantage points that Quignard knows how to find. As ever, he ranges far and wide in his intense quest, taking examples from across human history, from the neolithic age to his own childhood memories of postwar Le Havre in northern France.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781803091501

Publisher: Seagull Books London Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 06 July 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Seagull Books London Ltd

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 6.0mm

Height: 9.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 252

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Historical Fiction John Taylor Pascal Quignard

About the Author

Pascal Quignard is the author of more than sixty titles and is widely regarded as one of the foremost literary French writers today. In 2002, he won France’s most prestigious literary prize, the Prix Goncourt, with The Roving Shadows, the first work of nonfiction to win the prize. John Taylor has translated several French writers and poets into English. He is the author of several books, including the three-volume essay collection Paths to Contemporary French Literature, as well as The Apocalypse Tapestries and If Night Is Falling.

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